Category Archives: Spiritual

“You are not your own, for you were bought with price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20) Did you know that you are a wanted man? Imagine a world that on every street corner there were “Wanted” posters with your picture on it. And these posters were everywhere you went. Pretty soon…

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hear­ing [the apostles] speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how…

The Ascension of Jesus is not about the absence of Jesus. It’s true that He is no longer present with us in the same way that He walked among His disciples two thousand years ago. But Matthew’s Gospel records His promise just before His ascension, “I am with you always, to the end of the…

“The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29 According to the National Day of Prayer task force, “The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created…

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. (1 Cor. 9:24) Many of us are approaching the last leg of a race. For me personally this is particularly true. I’m approaching the end of my time with the…

Sheep require a shepherd. Sheep left on their own don’t do very well, you see. They wander off from places of safety seeking greener pastures and before you know it they are under attack from predators. In Palestine sheep were often taken by lions and by wolves. And the shepherd’s job was to do his…

My morning devotions are pretty simple. I make coffee and find my favorite chair before the bustling noise of my girls fills the house. I open my Bible and pray, “Lord, speak to me this morning by drawing my attention to a word or phrase. “ In small and sometimes startling ways, God always answers…

Those eight most significant days IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD—and certainly of the human race. Holy Week. The eight days to which all the madness has been marching. The eight days to end all the madness. The eight days when our Savior brought to completion His labors to save us from our sin, to…

“‘If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’” (John 20:23) How often what you gone to confession? Not many Lutherans do these days. It’s seen as too Roman Catholic. But in reality it is a great blessing to have the chance to confess…

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” (St. John 6:48-50) The Israelites journeyed in the wilderness for forty years after God had delivered them from their…